Battles of Life
by Historyexplorer12
Summary: Hephaestion is injured at the Battle of Chaeronea. Can Alexander help his best friend heal? And will they become something more in the process? Disclaimer: Alex & Phai are not mine! They belong to Oliver Stone & history! Warnings: War, injured!Phai, rated T to be safe, slash
1. Chapter 1

At the tender age of eighteen, Alexander, the prince of Macedon, stood in the thick of his first battle at Chaeronea. The screams of the injured and the dying covered him like a fog, and the clash of swords rang in his ears as he looked out over the bloodied sand that seemed to go on for miles. He watched as his Companions fought only a few paces from where he sat high on Bucephalus' back, the warhorse agitated, excited, and in his element. Alexander soothed him with a silent pat on the neck and closed his eyes, the scene before him becoming almost too much for him.

It was not a moment later that he heard Hephaestion cry out in fear and warning.

"Alexander!"

He opened his eyes just in time to see an Athenian soldier charging for him, sword at the ready to gravely wound and possibly kill him. Before Alexander could even move to respond to the challenge, his vision of the man was blocked, and Hephaestion had taken the misplaced blow instead, the metal of the sword cutting deep into his upper arm, severing muscle and sinew and going down to the bone. Hephaestion was close enough that the blood from the wound splash back onto his horrified face.

Hephaestion fell from his horse, and his scream of pain was like a dagger to Alexander's heart. It allowed him to move again and he ran the man that had dared to harm Hephaestion through without a second thought. When he turned back to Hephaestion, Cleitus and Ptolemy were already trying to sit him up and calm him, as well as inspect the damage. The fighting nearly nonexistant on their part of the field anyway, as the enemy was after the King of Macedon more than the Prince, they were allowed time to do this.

Cleitus was crouched behind his younger fallen comrade, whispering to him and trying to assess the severity of the wound. Hephaestion gave another roar of pain as Ptolemy did just that.

"He nicked the bone. He needs a doctor right now, Alexander, or he could lose all function in his arm."

Hephaestion began to panic, panting and crying softly, "I do not want to lose my arm... I don't want to, I don't want to..."

Cleitus glared at Ptolemy before turning back to the frightened, injured boy as Alexander rode off at the speed of death to fetch a doctor from the medical tent a little ways from the battlefield, "Hephaestion, listen to me. You need to stay as calm as you can. I promise you the doctor will do everything in his power to save your arm," they all knew that Alexander would allow no less.

Hephaestion nodded slowly, like he knew this was the case but couldn't bring himself to believe it, "Uncle Cleitus?" Hephaestion had begun to call the older man that at the age of six, when he had first come to the palace and had mistaken Alexander's title for the man as his name. Cleitus had laughed heartily at the mistake and corrected him, but the name had stuck, as it still did even though Hephaestion now knew well the meaning of the honorary title.

"Yes, my boy?"

"C-Can you tell Alexander that I love him if I die? Please?"

"You will _not die_, Hephaestion," Cleitus assured him forcefully. He then gave a sigh, "But yes, I will."

"Thank you. Uncle Cleitus?"

"Yes, Hephaestion?"

"May I hold your hand?"

Ptolemy was stunned as his comrade slid his fingers in with Hephaestion's uninjured ones without a word. It was just then that Alexander returned with one of the doctor's assistants in tow with a stretcher.

"Just relax, Phai. Eirenaios will make sure you are safe and the doctor follows my explict instructions."

"O-Okay..." as Hephaestion was lifted onto the stretcher by Eirenaios, Cleitus, Ptolemy, and Alexander and then taken off the battlefield after one last word with Alexander, "I-I tried, Alexander..."

"You did wonderfully, Phai. You did as your instincts told you to and risked your life to save mine. I am forever in your debt. Now, go on and heal."

Alexander watched as his best friend was taken off the battlefield and to the surgeon's tent. Now all he could do was wait. And hope.


	2. Chapter 2

After the battle was over and his own shallow wounds were seen to, Alexander went to the medical tent where the wounded men he had just fought with had been kept safe. Going around to each and every man and praising their actions that day and easing their pain with soothing words, Alexander eventually came upon Hephaestion's cot. Instead of saying anything to him though, Alexander kissed his friend's brow and smoothed away the tear tracks that still adorned Hephaestion's flushed cheeks.

"I will return," he whispered to the traumatized boy. With that, he helped Hephaestion lay back with little pain, and then he stood favoring his right leg a little, as his left thigh had a not-too-deep cut on it given to him at the very end of the battle, going to the next cot over. He could feel Hephaestion's eyes on him, and knew his friend was wondering why he was being neglected when all of the other wounded men were getting his friend's undivided attention. Alexander hoped that he understood that he was not neglecting him but instead that he was only saving the best for last.

When he had finally made the last of his rounds, he did as he had promised and returned to Hephaestion's bedside. When he got there, he was both worried and saddened to hear quiet sobs coming from his friend.

"Phai? Does your wound bother you?" even though his voice was only a whisper, Hephaestion startled so much that his face gave away his pain as his freshly bandaged wound pulled a bit.

"No..." his voice was weak due to the screams he had let out during his surgery.

"It pains you," Alexander decided for himself, "I will get Eirenaios to prepare a Boswellia tincture for you."

"I am fine, Alexander, really..."

Alexander turned around from where he had started to walk toward the back of the tent, where the herbs and medicines were kept, "You can hardly move, and I heard you crying earlier."

Hephaestion's eyes widened at the realization that Alexander had heard his tears. Finally, he hung his head, "I was crying because I felt forgotten..."

"By who? Eirenaios?"

Hephaestion shook his head slowly, still not looking at Alexander, "By you, Xander..."

"What do you mean? I did not forget you."

"Then why was I the only one you did not talk to when it was my turn?"

Alexander's eyes were the next to widen when he realized that his friend had taken his neglect the wrong way, having not understood what Alexander was really doing.

"I was not ignoring you, Phai. I only wanted to save you until the end," with a small smile, Alexander swept a lock of sweaty hair from Hephaestion's eyes, "'Save the best for last.' Is that not how the saying goes?"

Hephaestion bowed his head quickly as he realized his mistake and felt utterly stupid and embarrassed because of it, "That is how the saying goes," he verified, "I am sorry, Xander..."

"Phai, there is no reason for you to feel sorry. If anyone should feel sorry, it is me. And I am. It is because of me that you were hurt at all, and then my not making my intention clear earlier hurt you even further. I am sorry."

"Can you fetch my tinture please? My arm is hurting."

Seeing that he was dismissed and that Hephaestion wanted to drop the subject, Alexander nodded silently and carefully and quietly went over to Eirenaios to have the mixture made.

"It is coming my Phai," without noticing that he had done it, Alexander sat on the other side of Hephaestion's cot and took Hephaestion's injured hand in his own instead of his good one. But the reaction that it brought from Hephaestion was unexpected.

"Alexander, you're touching me."

Alexander smiled at the obvious remark, "Yes. Do you not want me to?"

"No... It's just..." Hephaestion continued to stare down at where their hands were joined, "I... I can not feel it..."

**AN: Boswellia is another name for Frankincense. Hope you all enjoyed!**


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